Today we’d like to introduce you to Stina Stow.
Stina, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My love for photography first got its start when I was five years old-believe it or not. I’ve always loved holding a photo that I made in my hands ever since I can remember, so it’s only natural that this is my career and passion today.
From age thirteen on, I was always “the girl with the camera” and in high school, I had the very best art teacher who really set me on the right track when it came to pursuing my photography. She taught me photoshop on her own time and in class, so I graduated with a wealth of knowledge and even a few paid gigs under my belt, including a wedding. I started Solano College’s Photography 101 class and fell even more in love, developed a style, and knew in my heart that portrait photography was what I wanted to do with my life. I continued to study art, photography and business in college. I started my own business in 2015 with a specialty in high school senior portraits and offering physical prints and artwork to my clients.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
At 18, I moved halfway across the country to Texas-a place completely foreign to me. I knew no one, and photography fell low on my to-do list aside from my college classes. I ended up a waitress, moved on to work for an engineer, married the love of my life and was pregnant with my daughter soon afterward.
Then my husband’s heart stopped at the age of 21 while he was driving down the road. He was brought back with the miracle that is CPR and spent the next 3 weeks in the hospital. He made an astounding recovery- but his dream career was threatened and it almost broke him. Upon going back to my job, and my husband being moved to a desk job, it was then that I realized that life is too short to be doing anything that isn’t in your heart & the only person stopping me from doing what I dreamed was me. So, what did I do? I quit my job while 5 months pregnant and started my own business. It was the best thing I ever did for myself.
Sure, there were bumps business-wise along the way, but now I get to spend my time being fulfilled by my work instead of drained by it. I get to be with my daughter every day and watch her grow into a beautiful little girl. I get to go on adventures with my clients and count them each as a friend by the time I deliver their portraits. The people in my photos love holding the art I made in their hands more than I do which is a huge feat! It’s a rare day when someone gets their portraits back and doesn’t shed a tear, and those are the moments I live for. Those are the moments that make me so glad I took a bet on myself and decided to follow my heart. That’s how I got to where I am today and I’m grateful for every bump (mountain) on the way.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Photography By Stina story. Tell us more about the business.
I am a portrait photographer specializing in high school seniors – although, if there’s a person in the photo, I’m game. I shoot digital photos and rather than giving a cd that gets stuck in a drawer, I walk my clients through each step personally to find art to fit their needs and household. I create memorable, wall worthy portraits that almost never get stuck into a standard 8×10 frame. Whether it’s a high-quality canvas, huge metal print or beautiful leather album, my clients hire me because I have the products they want and I make the printing process easy on them by doing it for them. I am so proud to offer this and I stand out from many photographers for doing so.
There is nothing better than seeing my work in someone’s home- plus I bring a hammer and help you hang it up.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love our area so much, but the quirky shops with independent business owners are my favorite. Put me in an antique store or a cute bakery with mismatched chairs and I’m a happy girl. I’d say the thing I like the least would have to be the construction and closely related traffic, haha!
Pricing:
- Sessions start at $200
- Artwork is sold separately with an average total investment of about $1800
Contact Info:
- Website: Photographybystina.com
- Phone: 8174032795
- Email: stina@photographybystina.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/photographybystina/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photosbystinaDFW/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/photosbystina
Image Credit:
Nicole Sonnier
Stina Stow
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
